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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages – Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai – taken by Hamas in the October 7, 2023, attacks, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [more]
• A U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the Palestinian enclave was vetoed by the U.S. yesterday, while all 14 other members of the Council voted to approve the resolution. Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea said the U.S. will maintain its position of not supporting any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for the militant group to disarm and leave Gaza. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1197 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian officials say at least five people were killed in overnight Russian drone strikes that hit a residential area of the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky. [more]

U.S. TRAVEL BAN | Citing deficient traveler screening and vetting and refusals to take back their own citizens, President Donald Trump has announced a ban on entering the United States for citizens of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, increased restrictions will be placed on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The ban is scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. this coming Monday. [full proclamation] [more]

U.S. TAXES AND SPENDING | A new analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says that the Trump administration's tax and spending bill currently under consideration in the Senate would result in $3.75 trillion in tax cuts, partially offset by $1.3 trillion in reduced spending, but increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion over 10 years and leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance. [full CBO analysis] [more]

U.S. DEPORTATIONS | A Guatemalan man deported from the U.S. to Mexico, which then sent him to Guatemala, has been returned to the U.S. following a court finding that his removal “lacked any semblance of due process" and ordered his return. [more]

MORE U.S. DEPORTATIONS | In a ruling yesterday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg said that the more than 100 migrants deported from the U.S. to a prison in El Salvador in March under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 must be given the opportunity to challenge their deportations. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | President Donald Trump yesterday directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to head an investigation into actions of former President Joe Biden, alleging that aides covered up Biden's "cognitive decline" and casting doubt on the legitimacy of the use of an autopen to sign pardons and other documents. In a response last night, Biden said any suggestions that he didn't make the decisions during his presidency are "ridiculous and false." [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | In an executive order signed yesterday, President Donald Trump moved to block nearly all foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard University. In his order, Trump cited national security concerns as the reason for the move and said that, "Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers." [full executive order] [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | A Congressional Budget Office analysis released yesterday predicts that President Trump's wide-ranging tariff plan would cut the U.S. federal deficit by $2.8 trillion over 10 years, but shrink the economy overall, increase inflation rates, and reduce the purchasing power of American households. [CBO analysis] [more]

U.S. INFLATION DATA | The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said yesterday that it has reduced the level of sampling data it collects to measure inflation due to the ongoing federal government hiring freeze, raising concerns among economists about the quality of measurements of overall inflation, employment, price, and the broader economy. [more]

TEXAS | A federal judge yesterday blocked a decades-old Texas law that has given college students without legal residency access to reduced in-state tuition rates. Reports note that the ruling applies only to Texas, but that it could lead to challenges to similar laws in other states. [more]

U.S. AND GERMANY | Recently installed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump today in Washington, with trade tensions, support for Ukraine, freedom of speech, and military spending expected to be among the main topics of discussion. [more]

NATO | Defense ministers of NATO member countries are expected to approve increased purchasing targets for stockpiling weapons and other military equipment for all 32 alliance nations at a meeting today in Brussels, Belgium. [more]

JAPAN | Government data indicates that the number of children born in Japan fell to 686,061 last year – a 5.7% decrease from 2023, the 16th straight year of decline, and the first time the number of newborns fell below 700,000 since records began in 1899. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has described the country's population situation as a "silent emergency" amidst concerns about national security and sustainability of the Japanese economy. [more]

TURKEY | In a continuation of what is widely seen as a government crackdown on the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Turkish authorities suspended five elected CHP mayors from duty today over allegations of bribery and extortion. [more]

NETHERLANDS | A day after far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders withdrew his Party for Freedom from the governing coalition, opposition parties called yesterday for new elections in the Netherlands. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | In its eighth rate cut in just over a year, the European Central Bank reduced its benchmark interest rate from 2.25% to 2% today. [more]

HOCKEY | The Edmonton Oilers beat the Florida Panthers, 4-3, last night to win Game 1 of the NHL's best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases of a rare type of pneumonia in five Los Angeles-area men – the first instances of what later became known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. [more history]